Page 4 of The Fixer

“I don’t trust you, Dravyn.” At his intense expression, I moved my scrutiny to the glass. Studying the shimmering liquid, I reached for it. I wasn’t stupid. I knew that one way or another, he’d end up forcing me to consume it. Inhaling the scent of the brandy, I furrowed my brows at the vitriolic edge I detected. Tipping the glass, I swallowed the contents.

“Smart girl,” the woman chortled. “You shouldn’t trust him. You’re a pawn in a game you’ve no business being included in. Pity, nevertheless. I wouldn’t mind more women to even the numbers between us out.”

“Elle is on our team, Theo. At least for the foreseeable future,” he purred in a dark, raspy tone which slid over my skin like honey. “If it changes, or she betrays me, we’ll all have time to play with her however we wish to. Who knows, maybe she’ll enjoy being my pretty pet and stay on after she’s finished what I’ve hired her to do. Then you’d finally have more women around. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Indeed, it would, but the thought of playing with her also intrigues me, love. She’s exquisite.”

“She is, isn’t she? I was expecting an ice maiden, and instead discovered a fiery, beautiful woman who doesn’t easily release her control or power. Women rarely tell me no or refuse me when I show interest in them, but she is, and it isn’t sitting well with me.”

“She’s already aroused by your dominance. I saw it when she stormed in here for the first time. Of course, she’ll fight it, but like the others who came before her, she’ll fall for the monster of the story. After all, monsters are better lovers than men. They’ll destroy you in the most pleasant of ways.”

“Indeed, we do,” he agreed, sliding his feverish stare down my body.

My shoulders slouched as my body became weighed down. Blinking lazily, I moaned a dismayed cry as their grinning faces blurred before me. Panic rolled through the pit of my abdomen, and a chill crept down my spine. Blue eyes scintillating with golden flecks thinned as they examined my face as I fought to remain coherent. Surrendering the struggle, my body settled deeper into the seat before hands began touching me, sliding something over my legs, waist, and arms.

“Make certain it’s on adequately. I’d prefer not to lose her before she secures my throne. That girl is going to make me a king, gentlemen.” The music of dark, mischievous amusement was the last sound I heard before steely fingers of darkness snatched me down into nothingness.

Chapter Three

Somethingwaswhippingmyface, and my hand moved, shielding me from the abuse. Releasing a soft, whimpered moan, I pried my heavy eyelids open. The moment they were, I squeezed them closed once more. My hand was being assaulted by my hair, but that wasn’t what had my lips parting and an earth-shattering scream ripping from my throat.

I was hurtling toward the ground. Wind forced my mouth open wider, and my hands abandoned my face, flapping as if my arms would spring feathers and keep me from colliding with the earth. Something jerked me backward and turned me around mid-air. My wide, horrified eyes took in the composed and relaxed expression of the psychopath who’d thrown me out of a perfectly good jet.

His gloved hands wiped at the corner of my mouth. The smile burning in his radiant stare enraged me. As I opened my mouth to call him everything but clean, I was violently jerked upward as he pulled a chord. A bloodcurdling scream tore free as I floated toward a large, green area below. Panic surged through me as hands grabbed me, pulling me up as he landed, taking the initial brunt of the landing.

Raithe had caught me, preventing my legs from breaking on contact with the earth, but the chute jerked my body away from him as I crashed so damn hard that whatever air was left in my lungs was kicked free and pain surged through me. Pushing my body up from the ground, I gulped air in greedily. I was going to fucking murder the prat and eat his entrails! Then I was scrambling to unhook the metal clips and struggling to my feet. A sharp slice of pain lanced my side, knees, and palms, which barely registered as anger surged through my veins, removing all rational thought.

Laughing started a few yards from me, which ripped my focus to the asshole who had forced me to sky dive without my consent. Shaking from the adrenaline and rage churning through me, I started forward, only to be yanked back by the chute, which was still attached by several safety clips. Once I’d released each one, I whirled around and aimed my red, unseeing, anger-filled stare at Raithe.

The sound of my heels stomping across the clumps of broken, overgrown pavement should have warned him of what was coming. His head turned, and he scanned my injuries. The moment I reached him, his luscious lips curved into a sardonic smirk. Without warning, I kicked his balls as hard as I could manage to while teetering on the heels. Air burst from his lips as he went down hard.

“You threw me out of a perfectly good fucking plane, dick!” I snapped in a quivering voice. Pain and fear combined into a dangerous red haze of rage. One man stepped between us when I began forward. “You want some? Let’s go, motherfucker!” I threw a quick, sharp right hook before following it with a left and another right punch to his face. He grabbed his nose, which I’d attempted to relocate to the back of his skull. Another of Raithe’s men stepped up, and I spun, kicking hard as I introduced his face to my boot and then dropped low to swipe my leg out from under him, sending him to the ground with the other three.

“I think I love her,” Theo stated with a dark chuckle.

Yet another male tried to fuck around and was about to learn the hard lesson of how it worked. If you didn’t fuck around, you didn’t find out the hard way why you shouldn’t. He threw a fast right hook that I barely dodged, following it with a left jab and another right hook. My hand shot forward, doing exactly as my instructor had taught me during the years, they had bullied me for being a child in an adult world. My knuckles connected with his cheek a second before my other fist shot forward, cracking his nose. A hand on the back of my neck caused my lips to part as a soft yelp escaped through them. I was yanked backward and tossed like a bag of potatoes across the greenery.

A pain-filled moan burst free as stars filled my vision, slowly diminishing to reveal the cloudless day. Staring sightlessly at the intense blue skies above, I counted down the moments I had left in this lifetime. Whispering a prayer, I waited for the pain Dravyn would deliver before he snuffed out my light and left me in eternal darkness. I wasn’t stupid enough to assume I’d be welcomed into Heaven, not after the scum I’d helped get out of trouble.

A shadow blotted out the light, which caused my eyes to tighten, and close. Tears pricked and burned the backs of my eyes. I was prepared for death, but I hadn’t been for his massive body to straddle mine. Flight reared through my mind, and I bucked against his heavy weight, screaming in fear and frustration at everything happening. My knees rose, and I used a defensive move to get out from beneath him, twisting until he leaned forward, growling in a menacing tone.

“You’re really pissing me off, Elle. I warned you not to piss me off, didn’t I?” he asked with his hand collaring my throat while the other fought to grab my arms.

I finally unseated him before rolling away several times, pushing to my feet, and bolting toward the tree line. My entire body ached, but adrenaline kept me moving as blood pounded deafeningly in my eardrums, drowning out all sound. Entering the trees, I slammed into something solid and unmoving. Dancing backward to avoid toppling to the ground, I stared in horror at Raithe, who closed the space between us effortlessly. Threading my fingers together, I moved to push him away with the strength of both arms combined, but he slid his fingers through mine and pinned them above my head against a tree. His other hand pressed against my throat, and I whimpered.

“Great. I’m going to die turned on and covered in filth! Just fucking brilliant, Chevelle! The coroner will state your panties were wet, but you appeared to be strangled to death, you fucking freak!” I babbled, as his eyes narrowed to angry slits. His nostrils flared, and a tic was pounding hard enough in his cheek to be visible. “How do we get out of this?” I asked myself as my mind began churning scenarios.

How was I going to escape him murdering me? His entire frame was trembling with anger, and while his hand wasn’t cutting off air to my lungs, it was closing around it, promising to end me violently. Leaning forward, I placed my lips against his, and when I pulled back, I whimpered at the dangerous tempest churning in his visage.

Raithe’s lips slammed against mine in a punishing kiss, and his mouth swallowed my soft gasp of surprise. The man demanded entrance, forcing my lips apart with his tongue before he devoured my soul one taste at a time. His body pressed mine into the tree, uncaring of the bark tearing at the lace of my shirt. His palm slid up, cradling my jaw, to tip my head and offer him better access to my mouth. Tension built in my abdomen, and the kiss became feverish. He took my air by force and offered me his in return. Something sharp inside of his mouth cut my tongue before he caressed and trailed his tongue over the wound. The hand holding mine prisoner released and lowered to my ass, lifting me until I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed my fingers through his onyx-colored hair.

“I changed my mind. I don’t love her anymore.” Theo snorted with derision.

Raithe tore his mouth away from mine, blinking with confusion as I chased his lips, needing more. My fingers released the strands of his shockingly soft hair, and I slid down his frame. I didn’t miss the fact his cock was very erect and would destroy me in the most delicious of ways if we hadn’t stopped. Heat singed my cheeks, and I fought to regain the composure of my senses.

“If you ever touch me or my men again, Miss Reed,” he seethed through clenched teeth. “I’ll show you what I can do when provoked. You may be the best at what you do, but you’re not the only one who can do what I need.” He held up a small, black device. “I need only press the button, and they’ll murder your loved ones within seconds. Tell me you understand what I am saying, darling.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks at his cold, calculated statement. Nodding, I wrapped my bloodied hands around my middle and focused on the ground. His finger hooked beneath my chin, lifting it until it forced me to give him my full, undivided attention.

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